Airport runway marker lighting unit



g- 1969 M. F. SHAVALIER 3,463,913

AIRPORT RUNWAY MARKER LIGHTING UNIT Filed March 31. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

MARION E SHAVALIER.

g- 26, 1969 M. F. SHAVALIER AIRPORT RUNWAY MARKER LIGHTING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 51, 1967 I][Ill/l/I/I/l/l/j/l/l/l///// FIG. 6

INVENTOR.

SHAVALIER.

MARION F United States Patent 3,463,913 AIRPORT RUNWAY MARKER LIGHTING UNIT Marion Fred Shavalier, North Syracuse, N.Y., assignor to Crouse-Hinds Company, Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 627,490 Int. Cl. B64f 1 /18 U.S. Cl. 240-1.2 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ring member is positioned on the top edge of the housing embedded in the runway. The ring is formed with a circular series of apertures, and also with sighting indicia to aid in orienting the ring on the housing, with one of the apertures in a plane extending diametrically of the ring and parallel to the runway. Means is provided, such as screw fasteners, to fixedly secure the ring to the housing in such oriented position. A top closure, including a light emitting assembly, is positioned on the ring and is formed with apertures complemental to those in the ring. One of said apertures is located in a plane extending parallel to the light beam whereby, when said aperture in the top closure is aligned with the one aperture in the ring member and the top closure fixed to the ring member, the light beam is emitted parallel to the runway.

Background of the invention This invention relates to aviation lighting, and particularly to airport runway marker lighting units. Such runway marker lighting units consist of a housing embedded in or adjacent to the runway. A top closure is fixed to the top of the housing and oriented so that the light beam is emitted from the unit in the desired direction, which is usually parallel to the center of the runway. The housing is provided with hubs to which conduits are connected and through which the electrical feed conductors extend.

The edge about the top opening of the housing is formedwith threaded holes to receive fasteners for fixedly securing the top closure of the housing.

Usually, the housings along a runway are not all oriented alike-that is, some of the housings will be installed in different positions to facilitate the connection of the conduits to the housings. This means that the threaded apertures in the top edges of some housings are located at different angular positions relative to those in other housings. This situation requires some arrangement for adjusting the top closures to the housings in order that the beam from each unit will be directed as desired.

In one adjusting arrangement now in use, outer and inner rings are positioned on the top of the embedded housing. The top closure unit is boltedto the inner ring which is rotatably adjustable in the outer ring, and becomes fixed to the housing when the outer ring is tightly bolted to the housing. In this arrangement, the installation is made by placing the inner and outer rings on the housing, with the outer ring loosely clamped against the inner ring. The top closure is then bolted to the inner ring and rotated to the desired position. Thereupon, the top closure is unbolted from the inner ring and the outer ring is tightened to clamp the inner ring tightly in the adjusted position. This requires assembly of the entire unit to make the initial adjustment and then removing the top closure, and the workman has to be very careful in removing the top closure that he does not move the inner ring out of the desired position. Otherwise, the whole procedure has to be repeated.

Brief summary of the invention This invention has as an object a runway marker light- Patented Aug. 26, 1969 ing unit including a ring member positioned on the top of the housing. The ring member is rotated to the correct position. To accomplish this, there are indicating means on the ring, with the aid of which the ring can be quickly and conveniently moved to the correct position on the housing. The ring member is then fixedly bolted to the housing. The top closure, carrying the lighting unit, is then bolted onto the ring member.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Brief description of drawings FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the housing.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the intermediate ring member.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the top closure.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the lighting unit mounted on the top closure.

FIGURE 5 is a section view of the completely installed marker lighting unit taken on a plane corresponding to line 55, FIGURES 1 and 6.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the housing with the ring member positioned thereon and oriented relative to the runway.

Detailed description The runway unit consists of a housing which is usually in the form of a cylindrical metal hub 20 having a bottom wall 21. Hubs 22, 23 are welded, or otherwise fixedly secured, to the housing in water tight relation. The hubs 22, 23 are threaded to receive conduits containing the electrical feed conductors for the units, the circuit passing through one housing to the next, it being understood that there are a plurality of these units installed along a runway.

The top closure of the unit, including the light emitting assembly, is fixed to the housing by way of an intermediate ring member which is rotatably adjustable on the housing to properly orient the beam emitted from the light assembly. It is essential that the top closure embody a rugged construction and be fixedly secured to the housing in view of the fact that the top closure is subjected to impact blows of high magnitude by the ground wheels of heavy planes touching down on the runway. These units are also subjected to high impact by the blades of snowplows.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the ring member is fixedly secured to the housing by screw fasteners extending through the ring member and threading into the housing. Also, the top closure is fixedly secured to the ring member by like fasteners.

The upper open end of the housing is in the form of an annular flange 25, and is formed with a circular series of threaded holes 27-32. These holes are uniformly spaced apart circumferentially of the flange. An intermediate ring member 33 is positioned on the flange 25 and is formed with a circular series of arcuate slots 34-39. The slots 34-39 are the same in number and spaced complementary to the holes 27-32 in the flange 25.

The intermediate ring member 33 is, in the final installation, clamped to the flange 25 by cap screws 40, see FIGURE 5. A gasket 41 is interposed between the flange 25 and the ring 33.

The ring member 33 is also formed with a circular series of holes 4549. These holes are also uniformly spaced apart in the series. However, there are a different number of these holes than the slots 34-39 and the holes 27-32. In the arrangement shown, there are six holes 27-32 in the flange 25, and there are six of the slots 34- 39. There are five of the holes -49. The top closure member is also formed with a circular series of holes 51-55, the spacing and arrangement of these holes being comparable to the holes 45-49. The top closure 50 is affixed to the intermediate ring 33 by cap screws extending through the holes 51-55 and threading into the holes 45-49.

The lighting unit is carried by the top closure 50 and consists of a circular casting 61, the marginal portion of which is seated on an annular gasket 62 positioned on an annular flange 63 formed in the top closure 50. The lighting unit is provided at its periphery with four holes 63 to receive bolts threading into holes 64 formed in the top closure 50, see FIGURES 3 and 4. The light unit is a conventional arrangement including a receptacle 65 in which a lamp 66 is mounted, a reflector 67, and a lens 68. The casting 61 is formed with a channel 69 through which the beam emitted from the lens 68 is directed.

The arcuate length of the slots 34-39 exceeds the difference between the spacing of the slots 34-39, and the spacing between the holes 45-49. For example, the spacing between the slots and the holes 27-32 is 60 of arc. The spacing between the five holes 45-49 is 72 of arc. Accordingly, the difference between these spacings is 12 of arc. However, the slots 34-39 need to be somewhat in excess of 12 arc in order to accept the bolts 40 and to provide the 12 rotary adjustment of the ring member 31 relative to the housing. In the commercial embodiments of the invention, the slots are of 18 in length.

The ring member 33 is formed with an indicator diametrically opposite each of the threaded bolt holes 45- 49. The indicator 71 is opposite the hole 45; the indicator 72 .is opposite the bolt hole 46, and the indicators 73, 74 and 75, are opposite the holes 47, 48 and 49, respectively, see FIGURE 2.

In a series of units along a runway, all of the housings 20 are not precisely oriented. From a practical standpoint, the contractor has to have some reasonable latitude in the positioning of each housing and often the position of a housing depends upon the conduit run. On the other hand, the installed runway marker must be arranged so that the beam emitted from the lens 68, and through the channel 69, must be directed substantially parallel to the center line of the runway.

The top closure 50 is provided with an arrow 80 which indicates the manner in which the top closure should be oriented before being attached to the ring 33 by bolts 60. It will be observed, with reference to FIGURES 3 and 4, that the apertures 63 in the lighting unit 61 are spaced complemental to the threaded apertures 64 in the top closure, and the lighting unit may be bolted to the top closure with the channel '69 extending parallel to the arrow 80. It will also be noted that the aperture 53 in the top closure is on the diameter thereof extending parallel to the arrow 80.

In the installation of the marker lighting unit embodying my invention, the ring 33 is positioned on the top of the embedded housing 20. The ring is rotated to bring a diameter thereof extending through one of the holes 45-49, and the opposite indicator 71-75 parallel to the runway. Referring to FIGURE 6, the housing is illustrated as being oriented with the diameter extending through the hubs 22, 23, out of parallelism with the runway indicated by the line 90. The ring member 33 is rotated on the housing flange 25 until the diameter of the ring extending through one of the holes 45-49 and the opposite indicator is parallel with the runway line 90. In this case, slot 34 would be in registration with hole 28 in the flange 25-slot 37 would be in registration with the hole 31, the remaining slots would be in registration with the remainder of the holes 27-32. The diameter extending through the tapped hole 47 and the indicator 73, indicated by the line 87, now lies parallel with the runway line 90. The bolts 40 are now inserted through the slots and tightened in the holes 27-32 to securely clamp the ring 33 against the gasket 41.

The top closure 50 is now positioned on the ring. The top closure is formed with an annular recess 91 to receive the ring 33, see FIGURE 5. The top closure is located to bring the arrow parallel with the runway line 90, at which time the aperture 53 of the top closure is in registration with the tapped hole 47 in the ring member. The bolts 60 are now passed through the apertures 51-55 of the top closure and threaded into the apertures 45-49 of the ring member.

The lighting unit 61 is now positioned in the circular recess formed in the top closure and fixed thereto by bolts passing through the apertures 63 and threading into the apertures 64 in the top closure. Due to the orientation of the top closure, the channel 69 is positioned to extend parallel to the runway and pointing in the direction indicated by the arrow 80. This because of the comparable spacing of the four apertures 63 and the threaded apertures 64. The bottom wall 93 of the top closure is provided with contacts 94, 95, connected to the conductors extending through the conduit runs 22, 23. The lighting unit is provided with yieldable contact fingers 97 positioned to engage the contacts 94, 95, when the lighting unit is installed in the top closure.

The slots 34-39, in conjunction with the apertures 45- 49, permit the ring member 33 to be adjusted in any position to effect proper orientation of the top closure 50 when mounted on the ring member to, in turn, obtain orientation of the emitted beam in the desired direction. This arrangement also permits the use of the through fasteners 40 for rigidly atfixing the ring 33 to the housing. This arrangement provides for the quick and convenient installation and orientation of the light emitting unit.

What I claim is:

1. An airport runway marker lighting unit comprising a housing adapted to be embedded in or adjacent a runway, a ring member positioned on the upper end of said housing and being formed with a circular series of apertures, said ring member being formed with sighting indicia to aid in orienting said ring on said housing with one of said'apertures positioned in a plane extending diametrically of said ring member and parallel to the runway, a top closure including a light emitting assembly for directing a beam radially from the axis of the unit, said top closure being formed with a circular series of apertures arranged complemental to the apertures in said ring member, one of said apertures in said top member being located in a plane extending parallel to the beam emitted from said assembly, means for fixedly clamping said ring member in said oriented position on said housing, a member extending through said one aperture in said housing and into said one aperture in said top closure, and fasteners extending through the other apertures in said top closuretand ring member, and operable to fixedly clamp the top closure to the ring member.

2. An airport runway marker lighting unit comprising a housing adapted to be embedded in or adjacent a runway, a ring member positioned on the upper end of said housing and being formed with a circular series of apertures, said ring member being formed with sighting indicia to aid in orienting said ring on said housing with one of said apertures positioned in a plane extending diametrically of said ring member and parallel to the runway, a top closure including a light emitting assembly for directing a beam radially from the axis of the unit, said top closure being formed with a circular series of apertures arranged complemental to the apertures in said ring member, one of said apertures in said top member being located in a plane extending parallel to the beam emitted from said assembly, means for fixedly clamping said ring member in oriented position on said housing, and fasteners extending through the apertures in said top closure and ring member, and operable to fixedly clamp the top closure to the ring member.

3. An airport runway marker lighting unit as defined in claim 2, wherein said intermediate member is formed with a sighting indicia located diametrically opposite each of said apertures in said intermediate member.

4. An airport runway marker lighting unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said light emitting assembly is detachably secured to said top member.

5. An airport runway marker lighting unit comprising a housing adapted to be embedded in or adjacent an airport runway, the top open end of said housing having a circular series of uniformly spaced apart fastener receiving holes, an intermediate annular member positioned on the top end of said housing and being formed with a circular series of arcuate slots extending in a direction circumferentially of said member and being spaced apart complemental to the spacing of said holes in said housing, said intermediate member being also formed with a circular series of uniformly spaced apart fastener receiving apertures, the number of said apertures being different from the number of said arcuate slots, each of said arcuate slots having an arcuate length exceeding the difference between the spacing of said slots and the spacing of the apertures in said intermediate member, said intermediate member being formed with sighting indicia to aid in orienting said intermediate member on said housing with one of said apertures positioned in a plane extending diametrically of said intermediate member and parallel to the runway, fasteners extending through said slots and threading into the holes in said housing and being operable to fixedly secure said intermediate member to the housing, a top closure including a light emitting assembly for directing a beam radially from the axis of the unit, said top closure being formed with a circular series of apertures arranged complemental to the apertures in said intermediate member, one of said apertures in said top member being located in a plane extending diametrically of the top member and parallel to the beam emitted therefrom, and fasteners extending through the apertures in said top closure and ring member being operable to fixedly clamp the top closure to the ring member.

'6. An airport runway marker lighting unit as set forth in claim 5, wherein said top closure is provided with an arrow indicia arranged in a plane including one of the apertures in said intermediate member and extending diametrically thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,113,726 12/1963 Pennow et a1. 2401.2 3,250,907 5/1966 Keck et al. 240-1.2 3,327,104 6/ 1967 Loch 2401.2 3,369,113 2/1968 Loch 2401.2 3,369,114 2/1968 Carter 240-12 FOREIGN PATENTS 660,662 4/ 1963 Canada.

RICHARD L. MOSES, Primary Examiner NORTON ANSHER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

